Always Happy To See You
by The Gong O Doom
Summary: AU of how the Taylors came to have a dog
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: ** One thing that always bothered me about the showwas that not only did no one have any pets, except for sweaty creepy meth dealing ferret guy, and that rat dog Skeeter who was in two episodes and then apparently eaten by a coyote, no one had a dog.

Anyway, we all know that Coach Taylor would have a dog. Or dogs. This is an AU story of how the Taylor's came to have a dog.

**"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment."**

**-George Eliot**

**"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.**

**-Samuel Butler**

**"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.**

**-Robert Lewis Stevenson**

It started out with a rabbit, or rather Julie's request for one. Eric was not entirely against it, but Tami steamrolled over him.

"We are not getting a rabbit; it'll chew the house to pieces."

"What are you, it's gonna be in its cage all the time, Julie promised."

"Eric, she's seven. Do you seriously think she can keep that promise?"

"She's pretty good about taking the garbage out…most of the time."

"Most of the time isn't good enough when it comes to a having a pet, let alone having a seven year old be in charge of taking care of it. We both know she'll take it out of its cage and be holding it, and something will startle it and it'll scratch or nip her and she'll yell which will scare it even more and drop it and it'll be off to the races and end up hiding behind her dresser or getting out of her room and hiding behind the bookcase in the living room or under the sofa, or somewhere. Which means turning the house upside down trying to find it and coax it out of wherever it is and getting it back in the cage. And then there's the chewing. It'll chew the baseboards to pieces."

"What? They don-"

"Yes they do. They have to keep chewing or their teeth will grow into their mouth or out of their mouth and they'll starve to death. And let's be honest, if it does get out, Julie and I are gonna be the ones who end up dealing with it, 'cause you're at practice and meetings until 7 or 8 o'clock every night."

"Well, that's not fair, it's part of my job to be at practice and meetings and you could call me and…" Eric's voice trailed off as he thought it through.

"Oh, so if this rabbit that we are NOT getting did get loose and was holed up behind the bookcase, I can call you up at practice and you'd be able to come home and help? You'd just say to coach Ginley, 'Sorry coach, I have to go home and catch my daughter's bunny. Well Tami say's it's behind the bookcase and we don't want it to get smushed.'" Tami frowned as she looked at Eric, but her eyes had a playful glitter.

Eric sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, but we have to decide what we're going to tell her and we have to tell her together so that if I tell her, she can't go running to you saying how awful and mean I am. We both have to be the bad man on this one."


	2. Chapter 2

Three years later, Tami wanted to get a cat.

Eric was not amused. "You've got to be kidding me. You were against Julie getting a rabbit a couple of years ago and now you want to get a cat."

"It could guard us and take care of pests."

"'Guard us?" Eric scratched his head. "Cat's don't guard anything, and what pests are you talking about? Besides Buddy Garrity. I haven't seen any mice or rats or anything running around the floor."

"What about that huge tarantula that was in the house 6 months ago?"

"It wasn't that big and it wasn't in the house, it was in the garage."

"Which is attached to the house."

"Spiders don't know how doorknobs work."

"Well it could have crawled under the door."

"No it couldn't it was huge." A few seconds went by as Eric waited for Tami's response then her saw her bemused expression and ran the conversation back. He shook his head. "Okay, so it was huge, but here's the thing about cats, they aren't exactly seen as a masculine type of pet and certainly not for a football coach to have, not in Texas. Plus, while they might get rid of pests, which outside of one huge tarantula in the 18 months we've lived here there hasn't been a one, they have the habit of killing the pest and either leaving it in your bed as some kind of offering or dropping it at your feet, which would terrify Julie to no end. And finally, it could be the kind of cat that wants to go outside, and there's no promising that if we do let it out it ever comes back, more likely meet up with a coyote or a dog, or start killing a bunch of birds and bringing 'em home as presents for us."

Tami sighed, and tossed her hair back. "I guess you're right, at least we don't have to talk to Julie about it."

"True. I don't want another three weeks of her not saying a word to us. Now if you're serious about something guarding us, you're talking about a dog. That's a masculine pet, that's the kind of pet a football coach in Texas should have."

"Not gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Because we'd have to fence in the back yard and when are you going to have the time to do that? I'm not going to do it and we don't have the money to pay someone to do it. Plus, I'm not going to have it climbing all over my furniture and getting its paw marks all over everything."


	3. Chapter 3

Two years later, after they'd moved to Dillon the Taylors went to the county fair, where Eric made the mistake of taking Julie past the ring where some dogs were being judged.

Soft coated wheaten terriers to be specific.

From Ireland. Well, the dogs at this particular show were from Texas but the breed originated in Ireland.

On the drive home Eric could feel the pain start creeping out from behind his eyes and spreading out to his ears as Julie kept jabbering on and on about the damn dogs. At least she hadn't said she wanted one, but he knew that was coming. As did Tami, who was strangely silent, just looking out the window at the landscape rolling past. Finally Tami said, "Lady Bird was right."

"What? Who was right and what were they right about?"

"Lady Bird Johnson. She was right about the wildflowers."

"What?"

Julie's voice came from the back seat. "The Highway Beautification Act also known as Lady Bird's Bill. It was supposed to cut down on the billboards and signs and stuff on the side of the road and bring back the wildflowers."

"Well some of those billboards were kind of funny, like the Burma Shave ones."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Tami glanced at Eric, then turned in her seat and looked at Julie, "You'd be driving down the road and there'd be this sign that said…let me think for a minute… okay, I remember one. It was actually a series of five or six signs. The first one said, 'No matter,' then 'how you slice it,' 'it's still your face,' 'be humane,' 'use,' 'Burma Shave.'"

"Ewww, that's gross!"

"Oh, they weren't all like that, that's just one I remember. I think there are still some out there on the roads somewhere. But I like the wildflowers, especially the ones that are that pastel purple color. Those are kind of soothing." Eric glanced back and saw Julie looking out the window and smiled.

That night Tami was rubbing Eric's shoulders when he said, "Thank you for today, on the way home. Distracting Julie. Felt like my head was gonna blow up with her going on and on about those dogs."

"That's why you're so tense? It's not like she said she wanted to go to the movies with a boy, she was just talking about a dog, she didn't even say she wanted to get one."

"And you don't think that's gonna be landing at our feet and in our ears in the next couple of days. You see what she was looking at on the Internet? Pictures of wheaten terriers and breeders. **Breeders**." Eric shook his head and muttered, "And what's this about her and some boy and the movies?"

"I just made that up. Why are you so sure she's going to start asking for a dog?"

"Because they've got her hooks in her, at least that breed does the wheaten. Her eyes lit up when she saw the puppies. I'd almost prefer if she said she wanted to go to the movies with a boy, because I could have some control over that, like going with them."

"Eric! That would be mortifying for her."

"Well, isn't that sort of the point?"

Tami stopped rubbing his shoulders and took his face in her hands. "You will do no such thing. It's bad enough what she has to go through at school during football season when the team loses."

"A'ight, a'ight….I'm just nowhere near ready for that….**stuff**," he waved his hands "to start up." And I thought you were against us getting a dog, anyway."

"And I still am."

"Well, we have to present a united front on this, like we did with the rabbit."


	4. Chapter 4

It started two days later at dinner. One of Julie's chores was to set the table, and that night, Eric and Tami both found a piece of paper on top of their placemat. The heading at the top said:

**Julie Taylor's Christmas AND Birthday Wish List**

** Soft coated wheaten terrier puppy.**

Below that was a list of breeders some in Texas, some as far away as Canada, along with prices per puppy. At the bottom was a list of reasons for getting a puppy. Eric snorted as he read through them, then fixed Julie with his 'Coach's Eye.' "C'mon now, your birthday's six months away and then it's nearly two more until Christmas."

"I want a soft coated wheaten terrier puppy. That's it. That's the only thing I want."

"Really? Tim McGraw's gonna be having a concert in Austin the last week in September. That could be an early present for you."

"Ewww. I don't like him. He's a drunk and he's been cheating on Faith."

Tami's eyes widened. "What? Where did you hear such a thing? They've been married forever."

"That doesn't mean that he's been faithful to her the whole time or even at all."

"Well, where did you hear about him being a drunk or drinking?"

"It was on one of the message boards about him a couple of months ago. And I don't want to go see Tim McGraw or anyone else in concert. I want a soft coated wheaten terrier puppy."

"So since you want it, you're gonna take care of it. That means you're gonna pay for its food and toys and all the vet bills and leashes and such, right? That's has to be a few thousand dollars a year, where are you going to get that money? You're too young to get a real job, and there's no way your allowance is gonna come anywhere close to covering the costs and no, you're not getting an increase in that."

Julie's eyes fluttered and a tear oozed out the corner of her left eye and crawled down her cheek. "Fine." She pushed back from the table, took her plate and glass to the kitchen, washed them off, then went to her room and closed the door.

Eric looked at Tami. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You forget sometimes that she's your daughter and not one of your players," Tami said as she got up and went and knocked on Julie's door, then opened it and went in.

Later that night, Eric knocked on Julie's door, and opened it after Julie said, "Come in." Eric sat on the edge of her bed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did at dinner. I guess I was still in coach mode." Julie didn't say anything, so Eric reached over and took the book out of her hands. _Everything You Need to Know about Wheaten Terriers_ was the title. "You get this out of the library?"

"No, I bought it, actually I had to special order it, and it came in to Barnes and Noble last week."

"Why do you want a dog, Jules? Do you really know how much responsibility goes with having a dog? It's like having a baby to take care of."

"We've never had any pets, dad. You and mom said I couldn't get a rabbit, and then there was the rat that I wanted."

"You wanted a rat for a pet?"

"My fourth grade class had one and it was so sweet and smart. They had to put a lock on its cage because it kept getting out. And it's like all my friends had pets, a dog or dogs, cats, birds, Lisa Kimble even had a snake, but we've never had anything."

"Well, it's…it's a couple of things. Dogs, any pet is a big responsibility, like I said. I'm not saying you're not a responsible person, but this is a big step. And there's also the money issue. Because pets aren't cheap. Even a goldfish, a fish tank costs a few hundred dollars. I looked over your wish list again and the lowest price for a wheaten puppy is $990, and that's before we get into food and toys and licenses and vet trips and building a fence and all that. We'd be looking at a couple thousand dollar investment, and there's the other thing of not knowing if we're gonna be staying in Dillon."

Julie frowned. "Are you getting fired or did you find another job on the other side of the state?"

"No, it's just…the life of a football coach, any coach is pretty transient and unstable, you can get fired even if you do win a lot of games. But I haven't heard anything about my being fired and neither has your mom and while I always have an ear to the ground in terms of coaching jobs being available, I haven't heard anything. And I like it here in Dillon, and the people here."

"Even Buddy Garrity?"

Eric started to shake his head. "Buddy…well, a little Buddy goes a long, long way. A very little. But he's a'ight. Look, it's okay for you to be upset about this, but for right now, for the foreseeable future, if you ask about getting a dog or a pet, the answer is no. Do you understand my reasons for saying no?"

"Yes. Dad does that mean I have to stop asking you and mom for a wheaten puppy?"

"Like your mom or I could stop you? You got her **and** my stubbornness. I just wouldn't start doing it tomorrow." Eric leaned over and kissed Julie's forehead. "I love you. To the moon and the stars."

"I love you too, dad."


	5. Chapter 5

For the next two months things were relatively quiet on the Julie asking for a wheaten terrier puppy front. Julie would make a point of reading a book about wheaten terriers in clear view of Eric and Tami and managed to work wheatens into a project for her history class. Minor fires being lit, but Eric knew there would be something.

A signal flare of some kind would light up the sky.

It turned out to be the last place he expected, on their PC. Eric booted the computer up on a Saturday morning to put some new plays in his playbook, and was busy shuffling through the cards the plays were drawn on when he glanced at the computer screen. Staring back at him was what he assumed was a wheaten terrier, though he thought it might have been that Chewbacca creature from the Star Wars movies. "Julie!" He waited a few seconds then yelled, "Julie get over here!"

Nothing.

Cursing and grumbling under his breath, Eric got up and stalked through the house, knocking on and opening the door to her room, and finding it empty, went and looked out at the back yard, then went to the garage. He stood by the kitchen counter and that's when he saw the note on the counter.

**Eric-Gone to do errands, library, groceries and to drop Julie off at the Hudson's. See you in a bit. Love, T.**

When Tami returned home an hour later Eric was back sitting in front of the computer, looking over and making adjustments to one of his game plans. Tami came up behind him, put her arms over his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. "Hey sugar, can you take a minute and help get the rest of the groceries?"

"In a minute. Look at what your daughter did to our computer." Eric saved his game plan, then backed out to the main screen and jabbed his index finger at the screen as the image of the wheaten terrier appeared.

"I know, isn't it cute?"

"Cute? What do you…" Eric spluttered as he got up and followed Tami outside, picking up three grocery bags. "What do you mean cute, it looks like Chewbacca from Star Wars."

"Well, Chewbacca was kind of cute."

"This isn't about Chewbacca; this is about your daughter messing with our computer. I tried for 15 minutes to get that damn picture off the computer, and I tell you what, Julie's got some explaining to do. Where is she?

"Babysitting at the Hudson's. She's going to call when they get back and we'll go pick her up on our way to eat."

"Babysitting? When did she start babysitting? I never said she could babysit."

"Sugar, calm down. She's spending a few hours with Ryan so his parents can have some time to themselves; go see a movie or whatever. She mentioned at dinner a while ago that the Hudson's were looking for a babysitter, and she and I talked about it and I talked with the Hudson's. She's good, the Hudson's haven't told me anything bad, I don't have a problem with it, why do you?"

"You don't think 12 years old is little young to be babysitting?"

"If it was an actual baby, yes, but Ryan is 4 years old, so Julie doesn't have to worry about changing diapers or anything like that. According to her, they spend most of their time playing board games or drawing and maybe watch some TV. Well, Ryan, draws, Julie does her homework or reads. Oh, and they play with Gizmo."

"Gizmo? Lemme guess, that's the Hudson's wheaten terrier? And I bet the books that Julie's reads there are all about the wheaten."

"Gizmo is a German Shepard. He's very nice, but very protective of Ryan. And I've been thinking about this whole wheaten terrier business and talked a little about it with Julie."

"Oh, so you're on her side now. That's just great."

"Eric Taylor. We're talking about a dog, not choosing sides in a war. And I'm not on anyone's side, it's just that I looked at a couple of the books Julie got and if we were ever to get a dog, a wheaten is a pretty good choice. It's a medium size dog, about 45 pounds as an adult, they don't shed so we don't have to worry about allergies or having dog fur all over the rug or furniture, they're really good with kids, I guess in Ireland they use them as therapy dogs, they're loyal, relatively easy to train, don't need a lot of exercise. And even if we don't get a dog I think we should fence in the back yard It would bring the value of the property up a bit. And Julie and I will help you put it up"

Eric ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "You and Julie are gonna be out there digging holes for fence posts? I wanna see that. The fence….I don't know we can sit down and look at our money situation and what supplies would cost and whatnot. Maybe I could even get some of the boys to help out a little. But we're gonna talk to Julie about that screensaver or whatever that she put on the computer."

"What, we're going to ground her because of that? I don't think so. We can talk to her about how she should have asked us first, but seriously, this one of the things you are just gonna let sail away into the sky."


	6. Chapter 6

Two months later and Eric could tell he was losing the battle about getting a wheaten terrier. Julie had apologized for putting the wheaten screensaver on the computer, but then got sassy when she asked him why he hadn't removed it.

"You're the one who put it on there, so why should I have to remove it?"

"Well, when our house gets rolled after you lose a game the people who do it never get rid of it, it's the three of us and maybe a couple of players."

"First of all, I don't lose games, the team loses games. And as for the toilet paper we don't know who is doing it."

Julie rolled her eyes. "I know three people who have done it. Dwayne Simmons, Thad Brockton and Jimmy Drew. You're just mad because you don't know how to do anything on the computer besides do your game plan things and email."

"Don't roll your eyes at me. Where did you get that from, certainly not me or your mother, maybe her sister Shelly? This kind of attitude isn't going to get you a wheaten terrier or any other type of dog, not even a hot dog."

Julie scrunched up her nose. "Eeeewwww, hot dogs are gross. They're made up of all the gross parts of cows, like lips and tails and stuff. I like hamburgers."

Julie refused to remove the screensaver, and so it stayed there, partly because Eric didn't know how to remove it and didn't care to take the time to learn and partly because….well, it could have been much worse. Julie could have put a picture of some boy in her class there, and yeah the dog looked nice.

Julie had expanded her babysitting duties from the Hudson's to include the Chase's and the Kents, so she was either coming home at dinner time or eating dinner at their house and having Eric or Tami pick her up at 8 or 9 at night. Eric asked Tami what Julie was doing with the money, and as he feared, well, not feared….anyway she saved just about all of it in a box she labeled "Wheaten Terrier Money" and even put a picture of one that she'd printed out while online.

He finally confronted Tami about her going over to Julie's side, but he did it after he'd brought home flowers and they'd had a couple of glasses of wine and some 'foolin' around time.'

Tami's head was on Eric's chest and he was running on hand through her hair when he said, "So, have you and Julie talked about the wheaten thing some more?"

"Yes, we have."

"And?"

"I….I guess you could say I'm coming around to maybe getting one."

"Just one? You don't want two? Or three?"

Tami turned on her side and pushed her hair back. "I don't know if I even want one, not if you're gonna have that attitude around it. You're making it seem like it's some huge conspiracy that Julie and I have cooked up, like you're gonna come home from practice one night and find Julie and I have gone and brought home a wheaten puppy. She and I have talked about it and been weighing the pros and cons, but we haven't brought you into it because you get worked up so quickly and you go in to 'Coach Taylor' mode, which of course leads to Julie starting her eye rolling thing, which she knows pushes your buttons and I get caught in the middle and I'm tired of that. "

Eric sighed. "Why do you want a dog, outside of all the other reasons you and Julie have said?"

"Stability. To me if we got one it would feel like putting down roots, like we were going to be staying in the same town or city for a good long while, not just a year or two years or even three. Putting the fence up was also a sign of stability and settling in. So yeah, I am leaning more in Julie's direction, but I'm not ready to say yes, and I certainly am not going to go behind your back. It'd just be nice if you could open your mind up a little on this. I know you've at least looked through a couple of the books Julie got, even if you just looked at the pictures. Just read one of them."

Two weeks later, they were having dinner when Eric said, "Okay, let's talk about this wheaten terrier thing. I've read the _Everything You Need to Know About Wheaten Terriers book_. I've talked with your mom and I've been turning it over in my head. Now the book says that wheatens aren't the most active breed, but they do need some exercise, the more the better, which is true of just about everybody and everything. So who's gonna be the one to walk the dang thing? Julie, you've said to your mom that you promise to walk it, but I get the feeling that I'll be the one that ends up doing it and I don't have time for that foolishness. I've got work to do, y'know game tape to watch and game plans to make."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh, so exercise is bad for you? Good to know; that means I don't have to take gym, right?"

"I didn't say exercise was bad for you. That's being sassy. Don't sass me and don't roll your eyes."

Julie sighed. "Fine. I did promise that I'd walk Payton, but there might be times when I'm babysitting or over at a friend's house and then maybe mom could walk Payton or you could. Like say, Saturday morning after a game you could walk Payton to help you relax."

"Huh. More likely I'd run into to people wanting to talk about the game and that's the last thing I want. And what's with Payton. Is that the name of this dog that we probably aren't going to get? Why'd you decide on Payton?"

"Because Walter Payton has always been my favorite football player."

"And why is he your favorite player?"

"I guess because all the highlights I've seen talked about how he wasn't that big for a running back, but he was tough, and strong, without being mean or a dirty player. And I love that his nickname was 'Sweetness.' It's just such a dichotomy for a football player to have a name like that. There was that Alworth guy whose nickname was Bambi but he never seemed strong. So when we **do** get a wheaten its name is going to be Payton."


	7. Chapter 7

Another month went by and it was clear that Tami had gone over to Julie's side and wasn't looking back when it came to getting a wheaten. He caught her and Julie in front of the computer looking at a wheaten breeder's website and twice he overheard Tami talking on the phone to what had to be breeders, because Tami said "When is the litter due?" on both occasions.

Tami had also taken a part time job at the library, shelving books and working the front desk, and Eric knew some of that money was going towards the purchase of a wheaten terrier. It annoyed him that Tami wasn't exactly on the level as to why she got the job, she had said something about getting a call and volunteering for the book sale and it spun off from there. Truth be told it annoyed him more that having Julie and Tami working meant that two to three nights a week he'd come home to an empty, dark house, and have to fix and eat dinner by himself. Not that he was the kind of guy who expected his wife to cook every meal and have dinner in the oven and a beer waiting for him when he opened the door, but it still nagged at him. And something Julie had said to him had struck him one of those nights and stayed with him. She had said one reason she wanted a dog, was because "Payton would always be happy to see us when we got home. Dogs don't care if you've had a good day or a bad day at work, they don't care what you do for a living, well they might like you a little better if you were like a butcher or something, but they love you and accept you unconditionally. And if you're feeling upset or angry and sad because you lose a game, Payton would cheer you up. And if it was on one of those nights when mom and I were both working Payton would be waiting for you when you got home. You could maybe even train Payton to get a beer out of the fridge for you."

One night when Julie and Tami were both working, Eric went online and searched for some websites of wheaten terrier breeders in Texas, because if they were going to get one of them, you could be sure they weren't going to drive halfway across the damn country. Nothing was worth that, except maybe seeing the Super Bowl, or BCS championship game and Eric wasn't sure about that, given the reports he heard from Buddy Garrity about the obnoxious and drunken fans that attended the games. And given how obnoxious Buddy could be when he was sober, that was saying something. He poked around one particular breeder's website that lived outside of Austin, which wasn't too far to drive. The comments from people who had gotten dogs from the breeder were all positive and some had even sent in photos of their dog as it grew up. Apparently even Frank Sinatra had gotten a wheaten from this breeder and Sinatra's dog had an air conditioned doghouse. Eric shook his head. That certainly wasn't going to happen. He was very careful to look at the prices per puppy and took notes, then turned off the computer and ran his hands over his face and through his hair, then stood up and went out in the backyard and looked at the fence he and Tami and Julie and his players had put up.

A week later on Sunday night after dinner, as Julie and Tami were getting ready for family movie night, Eric said, "Hey, can we sit down and discuss something for a little while?" Tami and Julie looked at each other and Eric though he saw a smile cross Julie's lips. "Okay, earlier this year you told us that the only thing you wanted for your birthday or Christmas was a wheaten terrier puppy. At the time and for a while afterwards, your mom and I were both against it and while the reasons you told us in favor of getting a dog were good and valid, I felt that our reasons for not getting one were just as valid and while your voice and opinion is valued and appreciated even if you do roll your eyes at me when you do it, at the time I just felt like it wasn't the right time. It just didn't feel right to me. And a month or so ago, your mom told me that she was maybe coming around to your point of view, and she gave me some good reasons for getting a dog. I was still against it. But I've been turning this over and over in my head and thinking about the things you and your mother have said and what I've read and I think that yes, we could get a wheaten terrier puppy."

Julie squealed, jumped out of her chair and hugged Eric. Eric hugged her back while looking down the table at Tami who was smiling and trying not to laugh.

After the hugging stopped, Eric said, "Okay a few things. Most important Payton Taylor will **not** be allowed on the furniture. Not the couch in the living room. Not my chair. Not our bed. Not your bed. The dog will not be sitting across from you at this table when we eat meals or at the breakfast nook. Understood?" Julie nodded." Payton will be sleeping in their crate, which will be in the garage. The dog isn't going to be sleeping in your room, not even in the crate or any place other than the garage. Understood?"

"You're not going to lock Payton in the crate all day while we're gone are you?" Julie said. "Not in the garage? You know how hot it gets in there during the summer dad; Payton would get heatstroke and be dead before noon. And putting a fan in there would just move the air around; it wouldn't cool the garage down at all. And keeping dogs in their crates all day is really stressful."

"I know it is, I read the books, and I've looked at the websites. I don't know, maybe we can put the dog in your room or our room when we're out, we can figure that out later. Now, as for where we're gonna get Payton, I think a breeder that's near Austin is the best, at least for us. The price is affordable and the comments and reviews are positive and I'm guessing your mom has talked with them at least once, right?" Eric looked at Tami.

"More like a dozen times." Tami smiled. "I agree with you that Austin breeder is really good, in fact we saw a bunch of their dogs at the county fair. They have two litters due in about a week, so if we're gonna do this; we need to let them know we want a puppy."

"Girl or boy," Eric said, looking at Julie.

"I'd really like a girl, but a boy is cool too."

"Okay, why don't you get your box of money, 'cause that's gonna go towards the cost of Payton and your mom and I will chip in the rest. You're going to keep up with this babysitting thing when school starts?"

"Maybe not as many days as I have been but I'd like to."

"Okay, I think that some, not all, but some of the money you make from babysitting after we get the dog can go towards helping to pay for toys and food. Does that sound fair?"

"I guess so, how much money are we talking about?"

"We'll figure that out later." Eric caught Tami's look which said that Julie's financial contribution would be ending fairly quickly after they got Payton, which was what he had been thinking; the idea of Julie chipping in was to his mind, just a part of being responsible. "I think that we should give the breeder a call and tell them that we would like to reserve if available, a female wheaten terrier puppy. And after that why don't we go to the Alamo freeze for some ice cream?"

All three of them got up from the table, Tami going to the phone in the kitchen, while Julie came over and kissed Eric on the cheek and whispered, "Thank you dad. I love you."

"I love you too monkey noodle."


	8. Chapter 8

Nine weeks later the Taylors were driving back from Austin with the newest member of the family, Payton Taylor who Eric had to admit was pretty adorable, and very soft. At the breeders they had watched Payton playing with the remaining puppies from the litter and Eric couldn't help but smile as Payton took charge. Tami frowned and asked the breeder, "Has Payton always been this…I don't know, bossy?"

"Yes ma'am, she's always seen herself as the pack leader, at least when mom and dad weren't around, but she's usually pretty nice about it." The breeder sat next to Julie who hadn't taken her eyes off the dogs from the moment they arrived. "I hear from your your folks that Payton is your Christmas **and** birthday present."

"Yes sir, we went to the county fair and they had the dog show and I guess we saw some of your wheatens there and…"

"They got their hooks in ya." The breeder smiled as Julie nodded. "Same thing happened to me. I was in the Army in Germany and on a leave went over to Ireland and they were the first dog I saw on the island. When I was discharged I moved here and got two of 'em and it sort of went from there."

The Taylor's had gotten a large crate for Payton to sleep in, but the breeder gave them a smaller one which was an easy fit in their SUV as well as a small blanket that the breeder said had Payton's mom's scent on it. He suggested they put it in the crate as a stress reliever and to combat the loneliness the puppy would feel being away from its parents.

Julie had insisted that Payton be allowed to sit or lie on her lap on the drive home and after some grumbling from Eric the breeder had stepped in and said it wasn't a bad idea, and they had the small crate with them if need be.

As they drove Tami kept turning in her seat to pet and coo at Payton, until Eric pulled over so they could let Payton do what Eric termed, 'her business." While Julie held Payton's leash, Eric said to Tami, "Hey babe, I think you should join Julie in the back seat."

"Why?"

"Well, it's kind of distracting to have you twisting around every couple of minutes to mess with Payton. It's obvious you want to have her on your lap for a while, and I'd rather not have her up front, she might crawl into my lap while I'm driving."

Tami started to frown, but then broke into a smile and called out, "Jules I get to hold Payton for the next half hour in the car."

When they got home, Eric took the smaller crate and put it beside the larger one which they had decided would be in Eric and Tami's bedroom. The breeder and some of the books had mentioned that the puppy would probably cry for at least a few nights away from its mother and that it was important that someone be there to comfort it. They didn't have to hold her but just putting a hand down for Payton to feel could take some of the fear away. When everything was set up and Payton was walking around the living room sniffing anything and everything, Eric said, "Okay, just to remind everyone. Payton will be sleeping in our room, in her crate. Not in your room Julie and not on anyone's bed. Right now while she's small and a puppy you can pick her up and have her on your lap if you're sitting on your bed or on the couch, but she isn't gonna be walking or sitting on the couch itself. Food. No one is to feed Payton from the table, not any of the food that's on the table. None of it. She's got her own treats and cookies and snacks and stuff. I'm not gonna spend my meal time watching her beg and watching you sneak food off your plate and give it to her. This is a big thing. I'm not gonna have Payton turning into some fat hog that weighs 70 pounds. Understood?"

"Yes dad."

"Yes sweetie."

The first night wasn't as bad as Eric though it would be, nothing like the first night when Julie came home from the hospital. He figured that Payton would get tired out from being in the car and spending the entire day being petted and cooed at and investigating her new home and all of the new smells, but he didn't want her to take an hours long nap either so that she'd wake up at 3 AM and start whining. Tami was very careful to make sure that the blanket with her mom's scent was in Payton's crate. She trotted right in, circled around three times and then lay down and watched them, her eyes gradually closing.

Tami woke up at 2:30 because she heard whining and turned on the lamp on her side of the bed and found Payton walking in circles and figured she had to do her business. She picked her up and took her out to the back yard, where Payton skittered off the patio and skittered back a minute later and yipped at Tami, who picked her up and carried her back to their room. She kissed Payton ruffled her fur and put her down in front of her crate.


	9. Chapter 9

There was some upsetting of what the Taylors had been accustomed to when Payton joined the family, such as Eric half jumping half falling out of his chair and spilling his beer on the rug after he fell asleep one night watching game tape and Payton came over and barked at him, and there were the unwanted but expected accidents when Payton couldn't make it outside fast enough, but a regular routine was established fairly quickly. Tami would have Payton during the day, and even managed to take her when she worked, thanks in part to head librarian Loreen falling completely in love with Payton the moment Payton scampered over to her. Loreen insisted on giving Payton an official library car, which gave Eric a good laugh and he would chuckle whenever he looked at the card, which was under a magnet on the front of the fridge.

At first Julie was the only one who walked Payton, in the afternoon or after dinner, as she had promised, but Tami and or Eric started accompanying them, and then it became a sort of revolving task among the three of them. One interesting thing that Julie noted was that Payton would choose to go in one direction on their walk one day and the opposite direction the next. If the holder of the leash began walking in the previous days direction, Payton would sit and bark and then begin walking in what she felt was the correct direction.

Eric was disappointed that Payton showed little inclination to play fetch. He would take her out in the backyard and throw a tennis ball, which Payton would eagerly run after, grab and then chew for upwards of a minute before running back to Eric and then playing what Eric called the "Growly growl look how FIERCE I am even though I'm wagging my tail" game, which enabled Payton to further soak the ball with her saliva. But by the fourth or fifth throw, Payton would get bored and run halfway to the ball or just sit and wag her tail while looking at Eric as if to say, "Your turn to get it," and Eric would walk out and get the tennis ball grumbling under his breath.

Eric insisted that Payton get some proper training, not just what he called 'grab assin' out in the backyard,' so Payton was enrolled in a 5 week Good Citizen Manners Dog Training Course and all four Taylor's went. There was one funny moment when Payton ran and wrapped her leash around Eric's legs and then stood there wagging her tail with her tongue hanging out looking _extremely_ pleased with herself while Eric told her to "run the other way dammit." Eric then made the mistake of trying to take a step, while giving his Coach's Stare to Tami and Julie who were giggling, and both broke into outright laughter as Eric fell on his face, at which point Payton came over and started licking his face. Despite this lapse, Payton graduated and got the only perfect score on the final night of the class.

When Payton started teething they would give her ice cubes and she became addicted to them, which was understandable seeing as the usual hot Texas summer seemed to be holding on longer than usual. One day Julie announced that Payton had eaten 90 ice cubes to which Eric replied, "That'd explain why she's been runnin' outside every ten minutes."

As Julie had predicted, whenever Eric came home after practices, as soon as he opened the front door, he'd hear a barking and then a pitter patter of feet and then Payton would come skidding into view as she raced down the short hallway, her tail lashing back and forth furiously. He always got down on one knee and patted her while grimacing slightly as she covered his face with licks and kisses. After a minute or two she would bark and walk towards the kitchen stopping to see if he was following and if he didn't coming back and barking at him. When they got into the kitchen Payton would sit directly in front of the shelf which held her cookie/treat jar. Eric would give her two treats, one of which she would eat immediately, the other she took over to her bed and would eat five or ten minutes later.


	10. Chapter 10

Three months after they had gotten Payton, Tami got a frantic call from her sister Shelly. Their mother had had a heart attack and had fallen and broken her leg. Eric took Tami to the airport kissed her and told her not to worry but to call when she had the chance when she got to Baton Rouge, where her mother lived. As he pulled his seat belt on he called Julie and when she answered the phone Eric said, "Payton better not be up on the couch next to you. You know the rules."

"Who was that who told me to always answer 'hello' back when the phone was answered because good manners were important? Oh yeah, that was you. But since you're more interested into talking to Payton then me, talk to her."

Eric heard rustling as Julie moved then phone, then the faint sound of panting. "Payton? Who's my good girl?"

This was answered by a serious of barks and a series of clunks, interspersed with Julie saying, "Hey! Come back here! Drop it! Payton Taylor you drop that right now!" followed by a final clunking, then silence.

"Hello? Julie?" Silence. "Jules? Julie, everything a'ight there?"

The answer was a long drawn out sigh and Eric pictured Julie rolling not just her eyes, but her entire body. "Oh, _your_ dog just grabbed the phone and was running all over the house with it and getting dog drool all over it."

"What do ya mean, _my_ dog, you're the one who begged and pleaded the past year to get her and saved your money to help pay for Payton."

"C'mon dad, I've overheard you and mom talking about me when you think I've done something wrong or screwed up, it's _your _ daughter this and _ your_ daughter that, but when it's something good, then it's _my_ daughter or _our_ daughter. It's nice to know that you can disown me whenever you want but then why do you get to punish me after you've disowned me like that."

"What are you, talking about, look that's, well, that's your mom and me teasing each other. Look, I'm gonna stop at the Alamo Freeze for supper what would you like?"

"Ummm, a double cheeseburger with just ketchup, French fries and a butterscotch sundae. And a vanilla cone for Payton, please."

Eric started to say something, then thought better of it. After all he was the one who had introduced Payton to ice cream accidentally, he had dropped the ice scream scoop and the ball of vanilla ice cream had plopped out onto the floor and quick as a flash it was in Payton's mouth. He thought Julie hadn't seen it happen, but apparently she had. "A'ight look, would you please just stay off the phone in case your mom calls?"

"Okay, dad. Drive safe. I love you."

"Love you too."

Later that night when Tami called it became clear that she would be in Baton Rouge for at least a week, probably more, her mom was in the ICU and would be there for a few more days. This led to the issue of what to do with Payton on Monday. Julie's offer to stay home with Payton was met with silence and the Coach's Glare. Eric couldn't see the point of putting Payton in a kennel just for the day all week that would be cruel to the puppy. Finally he said, "Hell with it," picked up the phone and called head coach Chandler and asked how much of a problem he would have if Eric brought Payton to work with him for the week.


	11. Chapter 11

Monday morning Eric put some treats a couple of toys and Payton's favorite nylabone in a gym bag, along with her water bowl and a blanket, along with some paper towels and plastic baggies for when she did her business. Julie made one last offer to stay home with Payton, but Eric simply waved her off and told her to have a good day at school, then put Payton's gentle leader harness on and walked her out to his suv, opened the door and put her on the passenger seat.

When he got to Dillon high school, he sat in his car for a minute, wondering whether this was really a good idea. Coach Chandler had said it wouldn't be a problem, but he had never struck Eric as the type who likes dogs, or any other kind of pet. Eric knew that he obsessed over football, even a bit more than his job required, but Chandler took it to a whole new level, even by the insane obsessive standard Texas had with all things football. Every wall in his house was covered with whiteboards, which were covered with diagrams of plays. Not that Chandler spent much time at home. He spent at least six nights a week during the season sleeping at the school, either in a cot in the nurse's room or one of the tables in the trainer's room. During the offseason he'd 'only' spend four nights at the school. Eric knew Tami would never let him get away with anything like that when he was a head coach, though Eric couldn't see what it was that Chandler was getting away from with this particular lifestyle choice.

There was a knock on his window and Eric turned to see Coach Chandler standing there. He pushed the down window button and nodded. "Mornin' Coach."

Chandler folded his arms on the windowsill. "Morning Eric. So that's Payton Taylor." He tipped his head towards Payton who was wagging her tail and sniffing the air. "You named him after Peyton Manning."

"No, **she's** named after Walter Payton and my daughter Julie named her. He's her favorite player."

"You mean favorite former player. Who's she like now, Tom Brady? Romo?"

Eric shook his head. "She doesn't have a favorite current player."

"Really. Well, maybe that'll change. C'mon, let's go take Payton to the front office so the ladies can all coo and melt over her and then we can settle her in for the day."

Eric spent forty five minutes in the office and he was mildly surprised by how much attention and loving Payton was getting. Even the principal came out and gave Payton some pats and took a picture of her. Then Eric got to walk her through the halls while classes were changing and that was….interesting. It seemed like every girl who saw Payton squealed and knelt down to pat her. At one point there was a circle of ten girls all cooing and awwwing and asking him questions and did a couple of them bat their eyes at him?!

He finally got to the locker rooms and the football offices, and he unpacked the gym bag and filled Payton's dish with water, which she drank half of, then settled onto her blanket and fell asleep. He was looking at game tape and writing some notes when his phone rang. "Eric Taylor."

"Hey sugar, how are you?"

"Oh-how's your mom?"

"Well, she's in and out, and it's better when she's out. The drugs make her loopy and thrash around and that's not something good right now with her leg."

"Isn't she in a cast or splint?"

"No, they have to reset it and put a plate and pins in and they want to wait a few more days, let her heart heal."

"How's Shelly doin'?"

"Good, how are the girls doing?"

"Fine, Jules wants to make Payton a part of a project she's got for one of her classes, and Payton is napping."

"Aren't you at school?"

"Yeah, that's where you called, isn't it?"

"Well I called home and got the machine and thought you might have gone out and taken Payton with you."

"I did take her with me. I took her to work and I'm gonna take her every day until you get back and maybe keep on after that."

"Well, how-"

"I called Coach Chandler and explained the situation and he's fine with it. Even had me bring Payton into the main office for all the secretaries to see. She got her picture taken with the principal. Worst thing so far was taking her through the halls when classes were changing."

"Let me guess, every girl in the school had y'all surrounded and were cooing and awing and trying to pet her."

"It's like you were right there with me."

"I keep telling you she's the cutest thing on the planet."

"Well, she's charmed Coach Chandler, which is kind of surprising, though I don't know how it's gonna go at practice."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not gonna leave her by herself in the office and I can't be holding her leash the whole damn time, you know Chandler likes me to get hands on with the QB's and I don't wanna tie to the leash to a goalpost or anything." Eric sighed. "I'll figure something out."

"Yes you will. Shelly and I are gonna get some lunch, and I'll give y'all a call tomorrow night so I can talk to Jules and you."

"And Payton." They both laughed, then Eric said, "I love you."

"I love you too, sugar."


	12. Chapter 12

To Eric's surprise the football team was just as taken with Payton as all the girls and ladies in the office had been. They all approved of Julie's choice of name, and a couple asked if she had been hunting yet. Eric started to explain that wheatens weren't hunting dogs, but the horn to start practice sounded. Eric had worried about what he'd do if he had to get hands on with a player while holding onto Mabel's leash, but Coach Chandler came over and told one of the managers to hold Mabel's leash.

The only problem was when Mabel did her walking in circles which the family had come to recognize as her signal that she needed to go. Unfortunately the manager didn't know that and the end result was Mabel watering and leaving a deposit on the field. Eric saw and jogged over, cursing under his breath, and reaching for the plastic baggies he kept in his pocket, and then Coach Chandler was there, looking at Payton, then at her leavings, then at Eric. Eric gritted his teeth, "Coach, I'm really sor-"

Chandler waved him off. "Oh hell, it's just a little shit. No big deal. What's her signal?"

"Signal?"

"Yeah, does she scratch the ground or stand there and look at ya?"

"Oh, well, she starts walking around in circles."

"A'ight. Will, you're gonna be handling Payton when Coach is busy out here, so if you see her start going in circles, get her off the field and over to the grass." Chandler pointed to the sideline where the opposing team would be.

When practice ended, Eric took Payton into the coaches room, where she drank a bowl and a half of water and ate four cookies, then lay down at his feet. He was going over plays when Coach Chandler came in and shut the door. "Where's our new mascot?"

"What?"

"Where's Payton?"

"At my feet. What's this about her being the new mascot?"

"Well, that's what she is, right?"

Eric put his pencil down and ran his hands through his hair. "Coach….she's barely six months old and she spent the day surrounded by and being pawed at and rubbed by a couple of hundred people. It's like I explained to you, I brought her here today because Tami is out of town and there was no way I was going to leave her in a kennel until Tami came back, and she isn't old enough to be left home alone. So while I guess I appreciate the gesture or sentiment, I'm kinda afraid of what you're thinking of doing with Payton as a mascot."

"What do I think I would do?"

"Off the top of my head, put her in a Dillon jersey and have her paraded out at every pep rally and brought on stage and have her be at all the games and all team functions and I'm sorry, but I can't see that happening. That just sounds way too stressful."

"Well now, she seemed to be doing okay today, enjoying herself out there."

"Yeah." Eric paused. "I guess I wouldn't be against having a miniature jersey made up for her, Julie would love it, but….we live in a world where team mascots are kidnapped or stolen or poisoned and there is no damn way I'm letting that happen to Payton. No way could I face Julie if that happened."

"Poisoned? I know that Army got hold of Navy's goat but that was forty years ago, but mascots being poisoned?"

"Yeah, it was the Georgia bulldog, not Ugga, but a couple of his brothers and sisters, but you know how crazy fans can get, it isn't just **FOR SALE** signs in your front yard, it's rocks getting' thrown through windows, your car tires being slashed, breaking into locker rooms and whatnot. The jersey is one thing, but pep rallies," Eric shook his head.

Chandler leaned against the wall, then bent over when Payton got up and came over to him, wagging her tail. He patted her for a minute then stood up. "She's your dog. And I don't want to make you or her unhappy or uncomfortable, and I'd get pissed if she was on the sidelines during a game and got loose and ran out on the field."

"So would I and Tami and Julie would kill both of us if that happened. At least I'd be sleepin' on the couch for a couple of weeks."

"Fair enough, but you are going to bring her to practice the rest of the week."

"Yeah, she'll be with me until Tami gets back, maybe longer."

Chandler opened the office door, then turned and said, "Do you have an umbrella?"

"Yeah."

"Be a good idea to bring it. I know the field turf gets hot, I can feel it through my shoes and I don't want her feet to get burned, and I don't want her getting heatstroke. See the two of you tomorrow."

Eric left for home half an hour later. There was a message from Julie saying she was babysitting and would get a ride home, hopefully around ten o'clock. Eric made Payton's dinner and had some leftover chicken casserole with a beer, then settled into on the couch to watch some game tape. He had tried sitting in what Julie had named his "Coach's Throne," but his back hurt and only felt better when he lay down. Payton came over and sat by him, and he reached his arm down and rested his hand on her back.

"Dad! You said Payton wasn't allowed on the furniture!"

Eric's eyes opened and he jerked his head up. There was a thump and a yelp from the other end of the couch. He saw Julie walk over and pick Payton up and cuddle her. "What? Payton wasn't on the furniture, what are you talking about?"

"Yes she was. I came in and you were asleep on the couch and she was lying on your feet. This is so not fair. You lay down all these rules of what can't be done with Payton, except they don't apply to you because….why?" She kissed Payton and put her down.

"Now look, I feel asleep and she must have climbed up on the couch."

"Why are you on the couch? Why aren't you on your throne?"

"I….my back's acting up, and it was real uncomfortable for me sittin' there, so I lay down here. Last thing I recall, Payton was sitting beside me and I had my hand on her side."

Julie's eyes flashed. "This is so unfair." She stormed off and slammed the door to her room, which caused Payton to start barking.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time Eric got up and moving the next morning, Julie was gone, with a note left next to the coffee maker that said, _Babysitting after school will get ride home._

Eric sighed. He'd tried to explain last night, but Julie had it in her mind that he had picked up Payton and set her on his feet. He shook his head as he and Payton walked out the door, he figured he'd talk to her when she got home that night. Rather than having Payton deal with the gauntlet of students pawing at her again, Eric went through the empty lunchroom to the gym and then the football coach's office. He kept the door closed until Payton whined and scratched at it, but when he took her outside, she only walked back to the locker room door and looked up at him as if saying, "_Are you crazy? It's _**HOT**_ out here. I don't have to go; I just want to sniff around the locker room._" They went back inside and Eric compromised by leaving the door open but also setting a chair up in the locker room and using that so he could keep an eye on Payton.

Coach McGraw and Coach Chandler came into the locker room and Payton ran over barking and whining and wagging her tail, and when Chandler leaned over, jumped up and put her front legs on his knees and frantically licked his face. Chandler smiled and then Eric couldn't believe it, actually sat down on the floor of the locker room and lifted Payton into his lap and patted and held her for several minutes. Eric and Coach McGraw exchanged glances. "You bring an umbrella?"

"Yes sir. Took me a while to find it, it's on the desk." Eric jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the open door.

Chandler got up carrying Payton under one arm, then walked out with her and the umbrella. He put her down and unfurled the umbrella, looked at it and frowned. "Not very big. Plus it's black."

"It's the one we had, and hell ninety percent of umbrellas are black."

"Yeah, that's true. But it's gonna be scorching out there the next couple of days and I want this lady as comfortable as possible." Chandler walked over to his office and then came back out with what Eric mistook at first for a patio sized umbrella. It was white with blue and yellow writing that said **DILLON PANTHERS**. "Are you gonna keep her fur that long? I read that Wheatens don't shed, but her fur is still pretty thick and dark for a Texas summer."

Eric's mind did a flip flop. When would Coach Chandler have taken the time away from football to find out _anything_ about any kind of dog, let alone a wheaten terrier? He swallowed. "Well, I hadn't given it much thought. Tami wants her to get a bath every week and a trim every couple of weeks, but we're still trying to figure it out, nothing's set in stone. She seemed okay out there yesterday, I figure we give it a couple of days and then maybe she'll get a trim."

"Fair enough."

Practice that day was brutal. Two players fainted due to the heat and were taken to the hospital, which led Chandler to cut the outside practice short by 45 minutes. Payton seemed to do fine, though Eric noticed that while she would sit or lie in the shade cast by the umbrella, she seemed to prefer the shadow that Eric cast, even though it meant she had to move every ten minutes.

Cutting the outside practice short meant there was more time for the team to watch game tape and Eric took that opportunity to slip out and call Tami, but got the answering machine, so he left a short message saying he and his girls missed her and to give her mom a hug from him. When he went back into the room, Payton was gone and he started to panic, but when the lights came up he saw that the biggest player on the team, Shawn Herman had Payton lying asleep in his lap and was rubbing and patting her fur gently. Shawn looked up, saw Eric looking at him and said, "Sorry Coach, she was walking around the room, and came up to me and put her legs on mine and I picked her up and…." He shrugged.

"S' a'ight. It's just that one of the rules we've got is that she isn't gonna get up on the furniture or sit in peoples laps or whatever."

"Well, it's not like she's dirty or been running through mud all day."

"Yeah, I know, it's just…." Eric thought of how Julie had yelled at him last night. "….it's just something that we don't do, so I'd appreciate if you don't put her in your lap unless you're sitting on the floor."

"Yes sir."

Eric stayed in the coach's office, diagramming new plays and looking through some of the older playbooks until 6:30 when Coach Chandler poked his head in. "Ready to wrap up for the day?"

"I guess. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I'm not meaning to be offensive, but….well; you're pretty much the most obsessed football coach I've ever met and worked for, which I guess is fine, if you can handle it. That's you decision and choice. But football seems to be the _only_ thing in your life. Every wall in your house is a whiteboard covered with plays and diagrams and depth charts and whatnot, the only books you have are football books by coaches and such, and again, that's fine. I just don't get why you would take any time to find out about wheaten terriers if you've only been around one for a day. Again, I'm not trying to offend you, I….just don't get it."

Chandler leaned against the doorway. "You're right. Football is my life. I can't see myself as head coach in Dillon in five years, I see myself as either an assistant at a Division I school or head coach at a lower level and in the NFL inside of ten years. And for that to happen I have to focus entirely on football. And if I burnout….well Dick Vermeil came back. Anyway, as far as Payton goes, it's partly selfish. I'm okay with your bringing her to practice for now, but I don't want her to get in the way and if she gets heatstroke out on the field during practice, that means everyone stops and rushes over and there goes the rest of practice and I damn sure don't want that, for the team or for you or for her. So I went on the Internet and poked around a little and found out some things about wheatens. It's the thickness of the fur that concerns me."

"I understand. She seemed to do okay today, let's see how it goes. I'm keeping one eye on her and I know Will's doing his best. She certainly doesn't seem inclined to go running around the field. When Tami gets back, Payton will be staying with her at home, but we might bring her to the games."

Chandler frowned. "Well, as far as keeping her at home, let's hold off until Tami does get home."

"You're the boss."

Eric and Payton got home to a dark quiet house. The note from Julie was still lying on the counter. Eric sighed as he fixed Payton's dinner, adding in some extra cheese, then microwaved some chicken casserole and a big glass of iced tea, which he ate in his Coach's Throne while watching the PTI episode he had recorded, followed by game tape. He felt Payton lean against his leg, and reached his left hand down and rubbed her back and head. "Good girl, good girl."

***SLAM!*** Eric opened his eyes and squirmed in his seat. Dazed he looked around, feeling something warm in his lap he looked down to see Payton curled up looking at him, then looked across the room and saw the light on in Julie's room as well as her bathroom.

"Dammit." Eric picked Payton up, put her on the floor and walked over to the bathroom and listened. He could hear the shower running, and gave a halfhearted knock, but figured he would wait until Julie was back in her room before he talked to her. Unfortunately Payton foiled that plan. Normally she was very good about not futzing about when she had to go out especially when it was the last one of the day, before bed. But tonight, she wandered to and fro all over the backyard, stopping every now and then to sniff a patch of grass or a flower. Eric stood on the patio gritting his teeth and slapping away the occasional mosquito. Finally after fifteen minutes, she came trotting back into the house and went into Eric and Tami's bedroom, while Eric knocked on Julie's door, then opened it. The light was off and he could see that Julie was turned away from him. He started to speak, then sighed, walked in and kissed the back of head, and said softly, "Jules, I'd like to talk to you tomorrow, after I get home from practice. I love you."

Next morning Julie was out of the house again, and had left a note by the coffee maker, this one said, _Babysitting again home around dinner time. XO Jules_

Eric smiled. It was something. He was afraid that he was in for another week or so of Julie not talking to him, though Tami would have put a stop to it when she came home. As he drove to school half listening to Slammin' Sammy Meade he tried to figure out when Payton had gotten the inclination to start climbing onto the furniture or into people's laps. Granted he hadn't spent the most time with the dog, that fell to Tami, but she'd been pretty adamant about not having her couch and chairs get muddy paw prints all over them, although Eric couldn't really see how that could happen, as the backyard was pretty much all grass and Payton never came back from a walk with her feet or the rest of her muddy, and she didn't show any desire to walk through puddles or anything like that. And Julie was so upset that he was pretty sure she hadn't encouraged Payton to get on the furniture or to have her in her lap.

It was another oppressively hot day and the outside practice was cut short again. Apparently some parents had heard about the two players collapsing and had spoken to the principal who had spoken to Coach Chandler. Eric shook his head. On one hand the parents and boosters expected an undefeated season and to win State every damn year, no excuses accepted, but they'd be right there kicking up a fuss if their son got injured during practice or a game. They didn't understand just how much work and pain and sweat and effort and will it took to win just one game, let alone go undefeated, and don't even think about winning State. And Coach Chandler was actually pretty lenient and treated his players pretty nicely. Eric knew at least two coaches in the district who refused to let their players have water or Gatorade or _any_ fluids the entire year, not just during practice, but also during weight training and during games. Eric had interviewed for a job as QB coach for one of them and after having seen how haggard and worn out the players seemed had turned down the job when it was offered him. Eric believed in punishing a kid if he did something wrong, but there was punishment and there was sadism and the line between them was bright and hot and thick and you didn't step across it. That said there was a certain amount of suffering that you had to go through if you wanted to succeed in anything, including football.

During film study Eric kept his eyes on Payton as she walked around the room, stopping now and then to sniff a players legs or a corner of the room. Most of the players would put their hand down and give her a few pats, which was met with a wag of her tail and maybe a few licks.

Eric had asked Coach Chandler if he could leave a little early as he needed to talk with Julie about something and Chandler had said yes, so Eric found himself driving home at quarter to six trying to figure out how he was going to talk to Julie about Payton getting on the furniture. He told himself to remember **not** to go into 'Coach Taylor' mode when talking about this, because that was the surest way to get the _Glare of Death Full Body Eye Roll Storm Off Door Slamming_ routine from Julie.

The house was dark and empty when he got home, so he took Payton to the backyard, filled her water dish gave her some treats and had a glass and a half of ice tea and then turned the TV in and started to watch PTI. He liked the show, but had figured out that there were times that the two hosts took a particular side on an issue that they didn't really agree with. Eric could tell that someone high up at ESPN had told them, _"_Look, we want you to spin this story _this_ way and hit it hard. We know that you probably don't feel that way, but you've got a lot of freedom so you're gonna do what management says sometimes." It annoyed him, but then unlike Fox News ESPN had never said they were 'Fair and Balanced' or any such nonsense, their bias towards the teams based in New York City and the Boston area was pretty clear, but Eric learned that was a 'grandfather clause' of sorts that went to the early years of the network, when the only highlights that were readily available on a daily basis were from Boston and New York City.

The front door opened which set Payton off on a barking tail wagging and whining frenzy, followed by Julie saying, "Hey baby? How's my good girl? Did you have fun at practice today?" Julie walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of ice tea, then set her book bag on the couch and looked at Eric. "Hey dad."

"Hey yourself. Would it be okay if we talked about Payton now?"


End file.
